Cloth napkins and everything: Episode tag 6X17
by mentafan
Summary: Lisbon is going on a date with Pike. She has an awkward encounter with Jane along the way. Can she keep her real feelings to herself ? More like a description than a tag with a twist to the ending. JISBON.


**A/N: Hey everyone. So I just loved this episode and I'm really happy that the writers are finally addressing Jisbon. I know it's a bit late to write an episode tag for it, since Sunday is nearly here. But the work kept me busy and as soon I got some free time I wrote it. Hope you'll like it!**

* * *

It was already 6pm and she had to meet Marcus at 7. She began to freak out. He'd said he would make it classy this time around. No pancakes and eggs!

Sad. Lisbon liked her dates comfy than classy. There's so much warmth in the company when you don't have the pressure to get all dolled up and make a futile attempt to eat with the bizarre silverware. Somehow she was never able to figure out what goes with what! Let's face it, for her a king-sized burger and a bottle of chilled beer was the perfect kind of date.

She had planned to go home , take a hot shower before going for the date. But being an FBI agent hardly gives you the time to have a normal love life. So as always, she had to dress up at the office; more like the washroom. She didn't had the luxury of a personal office like at the CBI. Anyways, even if she had one, changing there would definitely be a big no no. With all the transparent walls staring at you every second she already had a tough time working. Let alone the changing part.

_ I really need to get going! _She hurried but managed to spare a little time to rub some gloss on her lips. She pouted against the mirror and adjusted the edges of her dress. She had a hard time zipping the back of her dress. _Why the hell did they make such kind of dresses when you can't wear them without someone's help?_

_"Be there in 20 mins :D" _she texted Marcus and stepped on to the elevator. Honestly, she felt too tired to go on a date right now but Marcus had really been insisting on it. She didn't want to break his heart after he'd been so nice to her all this time… the night before.

She was finally having the kind of life she always yearned for. Probably not with the same person but Marcus was really a nice guy. He was stable, straightforward, reliable and showered her with all kinds of compliments. He was a kind of a guy your parents would like to see you getting married to. And they say parents are always right, aren't they?

She opened her purse to look for her car keys. _Shit! _She had forgotten it at her desk. Instantly she knew what this would mean- She had to face Jane. "Shit! Shit! Shit!" The other agents on the elevator glared at her. It was then she realized that her thoughts had changed to words and words had changed to – audible words.

Looking down in embarrassment she thought of taking a cab. She wanted to avoid Jane as much as possible. Infact, she had really managed to do that quite well today. She could tell that from the fact that how much she missed him today. But she could not stand being near him anymore. Every time she looked into his eyes, she knew he was hurting. And that made her guilty about dating Marcus. A part of her wanted him to mock Pike like he always did with Mancini and Mashburn or the other guys that seemed to show any interest in her. But this time he did nothing; just shriveled up in his own pretending not to care about it. She knew he cared, although not sure why. But he had been really awkward since he saw her at the crime scene the other morning.

The elevator bell rang disrupting the flow of her thoughts. All the agents moved out in a hurry to go home and meet with their family and friends. Lisbon was the only one left there as she looked out to the road. She was in a real Catch-22 here. She could step out of the elevator, take a cab and relive the same awkwardness of coming to the crime scene on one tomorrow morning. Or, she could prepare herself to face Jane now, let him see her all dressed up for the date and feel miserable about dating Pike. She pressed the button by her side and decided to do the latter.

* * *

The metal door opened and she could see Jane peacefully resting on the couch with a book pressed against his chest. Definitely stolen from Cho! Dragging her feet she leaned on the wall near her. She saw the keys on the desk as they shimmered from the sunlight falling on them.

On the table next to hers, Agent Wiley was packing up for the night. He was a young , talented and a bit of a nerd but a really great asset to the team. Somehow his technical assistance made it a lot easier to crack the cases , just like today. She could see him walking towards her and she thought to ask him to grab the keys for her. She knew he wouldn't mind doing that for her. He probably did a lot of odd jobs for the other agents too. Field agents at the FBI seemed to have a bossy air about them. They felt more courageous and manly over some analyst who sits in front of a computer all day. Plus, his being young made him more susceptible and easy to pick. Getting bullied at the work place after you've been constantly bullied at school is the worst nightmare one could ever have.

"Hey! Agent Lisbon! You look great today" he smiled at her. With such an innocent smile he looked like a ten year old. Adorable!

"Thanks Wiley." She brushed the strands of her hair to the back of her ear. Compliments had always made her feel uneasy.

"So you and Jane finally going out, huh." He spoke instantly." You both look great together."

Her face flushed in embarrassment. Hesitatingly, she cleared out the misunderstanding.

"No. Actually,I'm going out with someone else… Agent Pike." She raised her brows in affirmant.

"Oh! I'm… I'm so sorry. I thought you and…"

" It's fine. It's alright."

"No. It's just that you both are so perfect together. And the way he looks at you… "He began to rant, he wasn't what you call an expert talker " I should probably shut up now. Right?"

"Yeah… you should" Lisbon spoke looking down at her feet.

"Okay then. You both have a great evening. Bye."

"Bye."

"Uh! I mean you and Agent Pike."

" I know." Her words came out louder than she thought.

Lisbon led a huff of breath as she went away. There was no way she was asking him to grab the keys after that. Thank God she didn't. It would have made her look her suspicious and would definitely confirm that she had feelings for him. She wondered if the other agents too thought about Jane and her like that.

She gazed through the glass as Jane snuggled deeper into the couch that rested just beside her desk. There were so many better places to put that couch where he could get ample sunlight in the morning, better view, easy access to the kitchenette and where he could hide himself from Abbott. But he still chose the cold and damp place near her desk. Why? She had always wondered why? Why he chose to be close to her and yet remain so distant? Why he stood by her every time but vanished away when she needed him the most? Why he would always be the reason for her smile and the reason for her tears?

He was so complicated. Being with him was so complicated. It was almost like a puzzle. At first you have this anticipation and excitement to know the puzzle and you think of ways to figure it out. You put every bit of your heart and soul to crack it and unravel the mystery behind it. But there comes a time when you realize that no matter how hard you try you'll never be able to solve it. It was probably never meant for you. And that just leaves you frustrated and hurt. And damn right, she was frustrated! She had given him 12 years of her life with no complains and no demands.

And he calls her to leave her job just so he could be friends with her again. Friends? God sakes! They had always been friends. If he wants more why doesn't he just ask for it? If he's hurt of her dating Pike, why doesn't he steps up and tells her how he feels? And if it does not matter to him, why does he keep being so weird when she talked about him. She wanted to know why he always has to be such a coward.

A part of her wanted to give him more time. Perhaps, he would open up someday and tell her what she always wanted to hear from him. She knew clearly enough that she would never love Marcus the way she loved Jane. She would never love anybody like that. But she had her limits. And 12 years it is.

She needed someone to hold on to. Someone who would always be there and she won't have to cross her fingers in hope for it. Marcus gave her all that and more. She couldn't leave him. After all this time she was at a point in her life where being alone hurted more that being with someone you don't love.

So she decided to quickly grab the keys and get the hell out of there without waking him up. She ran towards her table trying to be as silent as she could be with her stilettos. She leaned forward and took the keys. All this time, she tried not to look at him because it would mean her emotions would melt just like they always do. And she needed to be cold to do it.

"Look at you"

_No. Not again! _Lisbon turned to face Jane. She so wished she could run out of there that moment. She wasn't ready to feel the same discomfort all over again.

"Don't start!"

"I'm not starting. You look beautiful."

_Beautiful! Did he really just say that?_ This might be the first time he admired her apparel since he came back from Venezuela. Back when they were undercover she thought Jane would compliment her for the bold dress he got her. But No! All he did was make snarky comments about her overloud acting. So why say it now? Because she was going out with another man and he didn't want to share his toys.

" I hope he's taking you someplace nice."

_Why is he acting like he doesn't care?_ He did cared. She wanted him to care.

" Cloth napkins and everything." She spoke with a hint of pride in her voice. Jesus! She could have just said yes and get going. But she knew Marcus had put a lot of effort into this and he really needed to be appreciated for that. But that wasn't whole of the reason, was it?

Deep down she wanted Jane to feel jealous and do something. Anything! If he would ask her to stay here she was willing to put her plans off with Pike. She knew he would have no problem coming with a ridiculously good idea to keep her here. He was Jane after all.

" Fancy! Well, you have a great time."

_Great time! _How the hell she was suppose to have a great time if he was not with her. Her face fell, she knew he would never be ready. And if he wasn't willing to fight for her, then he probably didn't deserve her. She had to move on.

With a stern expression on her face she bid him farewell for the night. " Good night, Jane."

Painfully, she turned and headed towards the elevator. Jane watched her go away. He wanted to get up from that couch and grab her, Kiss every inch of her beautiful face and tell her how he felt about her. But his body just froze. All he could do was sit and watch her go and embrace a life that could be far better than he could ever give her.

It was extremely hurtful for Lisbon to walk out of there. She didn't wanted to leave him all alone. But she knew it had to be done. It felt like she was leaving him in the cold attic yet again. The only difference was that back at the CBI she did it for his good and now she did it for her own. She felt disgusting, selfish, hurt , miserable. Honestly, she didn't even know how she felt. She just knew she had to get out of there before she burst into tears.

* * *

Just when she was about to call for the elevator she heard a voice. A voice she was aching to hear.

"Lisbon."

She turned in excitement. She saw Jane getting up from the couch and coming towards her. Her heart was beating so fast, she thought it would explode. Maybe, he was ready after all.

"Hey" she muffled trying to hide her excitement.

" Hey" he stepped closer and leaned forward. He gently rested his hand on her waist and pulled her closer. She caught her breath.

He got so close to her, he could feel the vibration of her heartbeat against his chest. With one hand on her waist he slowly led the other one up the back of her dress. The smooth fabric was caressing the rough skin on his hand. Lisbon breathed heavily. She tried not to close her eyes as she felt the warmth of his skin spreading through her veins.

She looked up , he was staring shamelessly at her. Lisbon hesitated- " Jane what are you-"

Before she could complete her words, she felt the sound of her zipper going along the lines of her spine. His hands were touching the bare skin on her back and her body tensed up against him. She clutched the edges of his suit. Slowly, he pulled the zip from the back of her waist up to her neck.

It was then that she realized that her zipper had been opened and Jane being the perfect gentleman had come to her rescue, to save her dignity and the humiliation. She knew he'd always protect her no matter with whom she'll be because it was Jane. Her savior.

Jane loosened his grip on her. Their bodies parted. The warmth that had been encircling them turned cold and uncomfortable. She looked down in discomfort, avoiding to look him in the eye.

"Thanks Jane." She knew he was staring at her and if she stayed with him a second more she would burst into tears. Without a word she began to move away from him.

"Lisbon" Jane called. His tone was soft and sensuous.

"Hmm…" her voice was cracking.

"Marcus is a very… very lucky man."

She gazed into his eyes. She saw straight through him, trying to mask his sadness with a smile.

She could no longer hold back. Her eyes became wet as tears ran down the curves of her cheek. She quickly turned away from him, he had definitely seen her crying. The elevator opened.

"Bye… Jane." She managed to speak.

Wiping her tears she stepped on to the elevator. Jane was no longer looking at her, probably trying to save her from the embarrassment. He just stood there bluntly, shoulders slumped and sadness tracing the lines of his face as he fixed his gaze upon the empty chair by her desk.

She knew he would always protect her. But she only wished that ,of all the things;he would just stop protecting her from himself.

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**A/N: So that's it. I hope you enjoyed it. Although, I have some ideas for making it a multi-chapter but I'm not so sure. Let me know if you want another chapter. Till then, I think it can stand good as a single chapter as well. **


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